Maximo Torero | Reimagining agriculture for young people

Is the agriculture sector fated to die out? Globally, the average age of farmers has been steadily creeping up, approaching 60 in developed countries. This leaves the sector, which supplies roughly one-quarter of jobs worldwide, in a bind. Unless it attracts large numbers of young workers, it could decline precipitously (see chart).

Promisingly, 16 per cent of the world’s population – 1.2 billion people – are aged 15 to 24, and many in this cohort are struggling to find jobs, especially in the developing world. For example, in Africa, people under 25 comprise about 60 per cent of the population, while about one-third of Africans aged 15 to 35 are unemployed.

But, young people in the developing world continue to flee rural areas in search of higher-paying, higher-status work in cities and foreign countries. This migration pattern has contributed to a decades-long global decline in the number of young people working in agriculture and living in rural areas.

In Kenya, youth agricultural employment fell dramatically in recent decades, from 58.9 per cent in 1990 to 28.5 per cent in 2020.

Meanwhile, Europe’s rural youth population (aged 15-24) shrank by 1.7 million between 2013 and 2019, and only 12 per cent of the continent’s farms are managed by people under 40 in 2025.

In Southeast Asia, rural youths comprised only about seven per cent of the total population in 2020, down from about 16 per cent in 1950, while just 11 per cent of Japan’s farmers are under 50.

And in Latin America, 1.2 million young people are expected to leave agriculture by 2030.

Enticing new generations to work in agriculture requires a paradigm shift in how we view the sector. It must be reimagined as a first choice for young people – at the frontier of economic development and offering enticing employment opportunities along the supply chain – rather than a last resort. After all, agriculture is not just about growing food. It also creates jobs in processing, transportation, retail, and other connected industries.

In addition to its impact on employment, a thriving agriculture sector bolsters overall well-being. In low-income countries, growth in agriculture is two to three times more effective at reducing poverty than growth in other sectors, while higher farm productivity is critical to improving nutrition and food security.

But the sector suffers from a problem of perception. Young people tend to see farming as dirty, low-tech, poorly paid, and lacking status – the opposite of “modern work”. If governments are serious about luring the young to agriculture, they must sell its profitability, breadth, and scale. Presenting a convincing case will require policies that address the valid concerns underlying how young people view the sector. That means reforming land-tenure systems, mandating higher wages, and providing entrepreneurial support.

Too often, though, government policies focus on low-return farming activities that offer little financial stability or career progression. Instead of being encouraged to grow crops or raise animals, young people should be steered toward the rapidly growing category of off-farm jobs fuelled by urbanisation, technological advances, and increased demand for locally sourced food. This includes food processing, packaging, storage, and distribution (such as urban farm markets).

For example, to boost the incomes of producers and workers, Kuapa Kokoo, Ghana’s leading cooperative of smallholder cocoa farmers, is investing in domestic processing facilities.

In the Mekong Delta – Vietnam’s rice bowl and one of Asia’s most important farming regions – few young people want to work the fields. Rather, they see their future in agricultural services, extension, and research, as well as agribusiness. In fact, agri-tech start-ups are already reshaping supply chains in Vietnam by helping smallholder farmers and cooperatives access financing and export markets.

Developing digital solutions is especially important for ensuring the sustainability and resilience of small producers and expanding the industry.

In Croatia, specialised software tailored to short supply chains automates delivery, pickups, and accounting, freeing small farmers to focus on growing food.

In Colombia, a low-cost smartphone app helps citrus growers improve crop quality and access markets by linking them to agronomists and merchants.

And in Africa, where processing and logistics already account for 40 per cent of the farm-to-market chain, platforms that connect farmers to equipment and buyers are flourishing.

Continuing this expansion would provide higher-paying, skills-based employment for young people in rural and urban areas, providing a powerful signal that there is more to agriculture than tilling the soil. But that requires policymakers to provide younger generations with the resources and skills – digital and otherwise – to modernise farming and build sustainable, innovative agribusinesses.

It is time to recognise the need to engage young people in agriculture and food systems, both to create decent jobs and, more fundamentally, to feed the world.

Maximo Torero is Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. © Project Syndicate 2025 www.project-syndicate.org